LOS ANGELES — UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince will be out three to four weeks after his jaw was broken late in the Bruins’ victory at Tennessee on Saturday.
Prince is a redshirt freshman who has led the Bruins (2-0) to season-opening victories over San Diego State and the Volunteers.
He was 11-for-23 for 101 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions in UCLA’s 19-15 win.
Prince was hurt when Dennis Rogan sacked him for a safety with 1:41 to play, shortly after UCLA’s defense stopped Tennessee at the 1. The tackle left him with a bloody mouth, but Prince returned to kneel on the ball for the final two snaps to secure the win.
X-rays on Sunday confirmed Prince’s injury. His jaw will be wired shut while it heals.
“This is a tough blow for Kevin and our football team,” UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said in a statement. “We hope Kevin recovers quickly, but we have other talented quarterbacks in our program.”
UCLA hosts Kansas State this Saturday. Neuheisel didn’t immediately say who would replace Prince, but he has two prime candidates. Kevin Craft, the Bruins’ starter last season, lost his job to Prince this year. True freshman Richard Brehaut enrolled at UCLA last spring and is expected to start the next game.
Michigan returns to top 25.
After a season on the outs, Michigan is back in The Associated Press’ top 25 poll.
The Wolverines, unranked all last season while finishing 3-9, were No. 25 in the AP poll. Michigan moved into the media ranking for the first time since the end of the 2007 season after a thrilling 38-34 victory against Notre Dame. The loss dropped the Fighting Irish out of the rankings.
Florida remained No. 1 after its second landslide victory. The Gators received 56 first-place votes. Texas stayed at No. 2 after defeating Wyoming 41-10, with one first- place vote. No. 3 Southern California received a first-place vote for the first time this season after Matt Barkley and Trojans used a late touchdown to rally past Ohio State 18-15 on the road.
Oklahoma State took the biggest dive, tumbling 11 spots to No. 16. The Cowboys reached the top five last week for the first time in 24 years, but they were upset 45-35 at home by quarterback Case Keenum and Houston.
No. 7 BYU moved up two spots and also has its best ranking in more than a decade. The Cougars, from Provo, Utah, were last ranked this high when they finished the 1996 season No. 5.
Footnotes.
Thaddeus Lewis will be Duke’s starting quarterback when the Blue Devils face No. 22 Kansas this weekend.
